


To Reach You

by ladyeos



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:20:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29582955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyeos/pseuds/ladyeos
Summary: Prince Rin suddenly finds himself in a very bad place, embroiled in a terrorist plot to destabilize the fragile peace he has worked so hard to achieve and take Iwatobi's independence back.  But the instigators have also another prize in mind.Tags and Warnings will be updated as the story progresses.
Relationships: Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka
Comments: 5
Kudos: 6
Collections: [Destination: 2021] 2nd Gift Exchange: Valentine's!





	To Reach You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [knaps_docx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/knaps_docx/gifts).



> Dear Knaps:
> 
> This one is for you. Thank you for all your incredible support and for being with me from the conception of this wild thing, I hope you'll stay all the way to whenever this will end. I even have maps!  
> I also hope to maybe do it justice.
> 
> Trigger Warnings and other tags will be updated accordingly.

Rin woke up in a dark, unfamiliar place. The air was stale and muggy, and all he could hear was an incessant tapping in the distance. His body felt heavy and the annoying sound reverberated painfully inside his head.

Everything was hazy. He could make out the vague silhouettes of a chair and a table at the other side of the room, and the faint outline of a door.

Well, shit. He got abducted.  _ Again _ .

Seriously, Rin was  _ so  _ over this. How did they even manage it this time was beyond him. All Rin remembered was the pretty sunset over Inahabama Lake, falling asleep before the car finished crossing the bridge. And he’d had the gall to complain plenty that the security measures for this trip were excessive! Unbelievable! Now no one back home would let him live this down.

And they were, for the most part, extreme. His security detail had ensured he had no freedom whatsoever to go explore the local sights or scurry around the festival filled streets of Shimogami as he wanted. After all, one couldn't grasp the true essence of a place if you weren't among its people. Instead, he was either attending useless meetings or parading around meaningless public appearances. 

Even now, with his head about to explode, he didn’t understand how politicians could argue for hours on end about insignificant details. The treaty was as good as signed already, all the major points ironed out before they even planned this trip. The culmination of two years of hard work in the making. 

The Samezuka-Shimogami Free Trade agreement was to bring progress to the two war-torn neighbors. A fresh start to re-negotiate import taxes, trade routes, and outdated sanctions. Most of which were enacted before either of the two current ruling parties had even been born.

As the disorienting fog cleared from his mind, Rin couldn’t help but wonder how long he’d been unconscious. Most likely it was early morning already, judging by his embarrassingly empty stomach. He sorely regretted skipping lunch earlier. 

This room had no discernible windows, only the pale light filtering below the door. He could be underground, he could be anywhere, there was no telling how long he’d been out. The mysterious drumming in the background was still relentless, driving Rin’s headache to new heights. 

“Urgh...”, Rin couldn't help but complain, he wasn't even sure he had all his limbs attached. And now that he thought about it, his arms were getting numb...he couldn't lower them. Oh great. His wrists were tied above his head. His vision swam the moment he tried to look up. Whatever they had drugged him with was still going strong.

Rin tried pulling his arms lower, but there wasn't much give to his bindings. The telltale clanking of metal echoed around. Were those chains? It seemed whoever had orchestrated his capture didn't have much of a budget. With more effort than he’d care to admit, Rin kept moving, trying to disengage himself from his restraints. 

The rattle of the chains resounded painfully in his head, but Rin powered through it. After all, the first order of business in any escape was ensuring he could move. He hoped there was no one close to the door to hear him. In his disorientated state he couldn’t judge the loudness of any noise. Rin gave up after what felt like a small eternity, every slight movement felt like swimming through molasses, and now his wrists stung. The only thing he could hear was his own agitated breathing as an oppressive silence settled over the room. Well, at least that accursed tapping had finally stopped. 

Rin knew he needed to keep his wits about him. He'd been in slightly varying but very similar situations more times than he’d care to count. In the past five years since he’d been unceremoniously shoved into the throne as Crown Prince of Samezuka and taken the foolishly big burden of advocating his father’s ideals, he’d been abducted, held hostage, almost maimed, survived assassinations attempts, etc. Honestly, after a while, they all kind of blended together. Total lack of imagination if he was being honest.

After all that exertion, the room still felt so cold. At least they bothered to lay him on a cot, uncomfortable as it was, anything was better than the floor. He’d wish for something less ratty to cover himself though. Not to mention that he was propped awkwardly against a bunch of equally ratty pillows that did nothing to stave off the frigid wall. 

Yeah, definitely underground. Rin winced slightly at that conclusion; ‘underground’ meant it will take longer to find him, more difficulty in finding an escape route. At least he wasn't hurt. The dull ache and dizziness were starting to dissipate, finally.

“Ah, is His Highness awake?” came a deep, disembodied voice out of nowhere, throwing Rin into a panic. 

…. _ Fuck _ . He hadn't noticed someone else in the room. Frantically searching through the dark, Rin strained his eyes as much as he could. This was bad. Even in the low light, he should have been able to make something out. Rin remained frozen, trying to calm his pounding heart.  _ Dammit _ , he should have paid more attention. The scolding voice in his head reminding him to always be vigilant sounded suspiciously like Haru...or Sousuke. Possibly both? Rin wasn't even sure anymore. 

The faint light coming from under the door couldn't quite reach, but there was indeed someone seated in one of the chairs by the small table in the darkest corner. The silhouette of a man was barely noticeable. Blaring alarms sounded in Rin’s mind as he tried to suppress the chilling shudder rising all over his skin. He wished he’d taken Haru’s concerns more seriously now. Rin hoped he’d live enough to see him again. 

There was the rustling of clothes and the scrape of metal over concrete as the mysterious man rose and approached Rin. “I hope the accommodations are of “His Highness’’’ liking...” Rin could hear the sneer in his raspy low voice. Now that the man was closer to the bed, Rin could make out some features; he was taller than Rin, broader on the shoulders, messy hair falling in front of one eye. Maybe. It was too dark. 

“Where am I? What do you want?” came Rin’s croaky voice. He cursed internally,  _ that  _ definitely wasn't the voice of a fearless leader. “Answer me this instant or I swear I’ll-” but a big hand grabbed him by the cheeks forcing his mouth shut, pulling up his head roughly. Everything was achingly dizzy again, his arms twisting painfully with the movement. 

The man came close, too close, all Rin could smell was stale cigarettes. “You’ll what, huh? Listen, royal brat, if you don't behave, you’ll never leave this place alive” The man pushed him onto the cot again, roughly, the threadbare pillows offered no respite as Rin’s head hit the wall. 

Fighting the sudden sharp pain and stars in his vision, Rin watched full of trepidation as the man walked to the table and came back holding something in his hand. 

Well,  _ shit _ .


End file.
